Jurgen Klopp has suggested that he may tinker with Liverpool’s tactical set-up instead of bringing in a direct replacement for Sadio Mane in January.
Our dazzling winger, who’s our top scorer in the Premier League with eight goals so far, will be absent for most of January due to his participation with Senegal at the AFCON.
Most fans want Liverpool to buy a direct, temporary replacement when the transfer window opens, but unless Klopp sees the right player at the right price, he may choose to stay out of the market.
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“If we would have had five other wingers to replace him then we could not have a team and atmosphere we have at the moment, everyone feels important,” Klopp told a packed press-conference today ahead of December 27th’s Stoke clash (Echo).
“We still can play different systems, our players are really versatile. That’s what we need to use.
“A lot of our players are really versatile. We need to show this. We have to find solutions.”
With Daniel Sturridge and Coutinho soon back from injury, Liverpool could feasibly play a diamond in midfield with the Englishman alongside Roberto Firmino up top and the Brazilian as a more central no.10. Divock Origi could also occupy one of the forward positions, while Adam Lallana and Gini Wijnaldum are capable of playing further forward as well.
Klopp proved in the summer with his refusal to buy a left-back and use James Milner instead that he prefers to mould the squad already at his disposal. We can see something similar happening here; we just hope the squad can cope with it – as a few injuries to our better forwards will leave us very, very thin.